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Fall 2013 Arcade

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Train Your Brain

In today’s world, with its constant social and cultural shifts, if you sometimes feel like you’re in over your head, it may be because you are—literally. “The brains we have were developed in the primeval forest, and they’re very good at figuring out things like who’s my enemy, what’s food and where can I mate,” said Professor Kathleen Taylor, an internationally recognized authority on adult learning who teaches in the Educational Leadership Program.

The Art of Chemistry

Senior Alexis Gonzales and 2013 graduate Jimmy Karnezis spent their summer working at the intersection of chemistry and art. Their summer research project, under the tutelage of Professor Michelle Shulman, was to analyze the chemical properties of a Russian icon fragment and develop a research protocol that could help future SMC students and, perhaps, students at other universities, as well. The three hope to publish a paper in the Journal of Chemical Education.

The Hero Returns

No, the world isn’t spinning backward. Superman is indeed back. Again. But, if you checked out this past summer’s installment in the comic-turned-movie series, you might notice that the Man of Steel is a little different this time around.

Play Ball!

Not many Saint Mary’s students get their first jobs out of college in Grand Junction, Colorado, or Greeneville, Tennessee, or Wappinger Falls, New York. Then again, not many Saint Mary’s students get their first jobs out of college playing baseball.

A Home Run for the Gaels

Saint Mary’s has a new head baseball coach—Eric Valenzuela, the former pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for San Diego State—to go with its new baseball field, which was unveiled a little over a year ago. “I’m excited to get it going,” said Valenzuela. “I’m excited to start the journey of putting Saint Mary’s on the map, not only on the West Coast but nationally.”

Delly Named to Cavaliers

Matthew Dellavedova ’13, SMC’s all-time top men’s basketball scorer, has officially been named to the Cleveland Cavaliers training camp roster, and has also become a columnist for his hometown newspaper.

Diving Into Discovery

About 670 miles off the east coast of the U.S. lies the island of Bermuda, ringed by a treacherous coral reef that has sent at least 150 ships to a watery grave. Every year, a dozen daring students travel to this speck in the Atlantic to take part in a course at the Summer Field School in Maritime Archaeology, run by Saint Mary’s Professor James Allan ’70 and Rod Mather of the University of Rhode Island.

Celebrating Scholarship

This summer recipients of the Joe Crane Endowed Scholarship gathered in Lodi for a reception celebrating this fund that has supported 18 Saint Mary’s students over the past 10 years. The event was hosted by Crane’s widow, Helen, at the Ruiten Winery. Joe Crane ’53 established the scholarship for students from Saint Mary’s High School in Stockton, creating a permanent link between his alma mater and the Central Valley. Stockton residents have raised more than $530,000 for the endowment. This summer’s event raised $17,000, including a check for $1,000 sent from Japan by the first scholarship recipient, Tito Hen ’98.

Freedom Rings

New Gael Rachel Hartley ’17—with her parents Russell and Linda and Brother Dominic Berardelli—rang the Korth Tower bell to commemorate Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech. They joined hundreds of others across the nation on the anniversary of King’s landmark 1963 address in Washington, D.C.

Building Responsible Leaders

Jim Guyette ’67, the president and CEO of Rolls-Royce North America, and his wife, Kay, have provided a generous donation to the School of Economics and Business Administration to establish the school’s first endowed professorship in responsible leadership. “The world requires wise, experienced and responsible leaders in every facet of society,” Guyette said. “What better place than Saint Mary’s to identify and develop them.” The endowment supports a professor to lead a fellows program for promising students who will develop their leadership skills through service-learning and other experiences.

Lasallian Lessons

Saint Mary’s sophomores Suzanne Denson and Mitchell Woodrow think big. And this year, they learned how to think even bigger when they represented Saint Mary’s at the Lasallian Summer Program on Leadership and Global Understanding in Philadelphia. Their experience was one of several opportunities this summer for Saint Mary’s people to immerse themselves in the thinking of Saint John Baptist de La Salle and take those teachings home to enrich their work.

Saint Mary’s Writes!

On a campus where student-centered education is paramount, the focus is on teaching. Nevertheless, Saint Mary’s faculty are quite active in research and publishing, as these highlights of the publications list illustrate.

An App for the Wild Side

Think you have wild neighbors? Actually, we all have a lot more wild neighbors than we realize—creatures like owls and coyotes and bald eagles—and soon we may be able to use our smartphones to find out just who and where they are, thanks to Saint Mary’s faculty and students.

Women in Tech Get the Thumbs Up

Saint Mary’s has something to offer Silicon Valley. Technology companies are excited about a proposed curriculum model that weds technology and liberal arts, according to Mark Chiarucci, a major gifts officer at the College.